In this moving book, Ed and Loretta Williamson share their love affair with the Gospel of Jesus Christ and with each other, across decades of ministry and a lengthy battle with cancer that finally ended in Loretta’s death. Yet their joy in the Lord, and devotion to each other, never died. I highly recommend this unflinching portrayal of faithfulness amid the ravages of terminal cancer. It is testimony and love story wrapped together. Readers will be blessed by the Williamsons’ story, and will gain courage for their own journeys as followers of Christ.
In the late sixties, I worked in the ghettos of New York City alongside Loretta, my sister Faith, and others and we enjoyed observing Ed and Loretta’s courtship. Even though I knew of Loretta’s challenge with cancer in later years, during our infrequent visits she masked the gravity of her battle with her positive, upbeat demeanor. I was not prepared for the range of emotions I experienced as I read this book. It is a love story, as well as a compelling account of the effects of cancer on one family, and you will see how this most dreaded disease impacted each of them. But overriding it all is the story of their rock-solid faith in Jesus Christ and His supremacy over all of life, even life at its worst. Without being “preachy,” these pages will inspire you to make Jesus Christ the ultimate pursuit in your life, for there is no other name.
This book is a must-read for anyone facing a physical challenge or who has a loved one dealing with a health issue. I love the balance of the book in terms of faith, medicine, relationships and scripture. The agony, joy, pain, hopes and expectations are felt as Ed and Loretta deal with her battle with cancer. Most of all, their love for Christ, love for people, and their passion for ministry is felt throughout this insightful book.
I met Ed and Loretta in a season when Loretta was cancer free following a miraculous healing. Ed was serving as evangelist at Camp Sychar in Mount Vernon, Ohio. The night we met, Ed began the message on marriage and Loretta finished it. Their “tag-team” preaching had a profound effect on my life and my understanding of a biblical theology of marriage. This is a story of Ed and his “Battle Maiden” — a triumph of faith, love, surrender, and family.
Throughout the ages, God has gone to great lengths to write His story upon the hearts of all humanity. Ed Williamson’s No Other Name reveals the heart, mind and soul of one who has discovered God’s great story and whose life is shaped by the work of a Holy God. The book is warm and powerful, an inspiring expression of the author’s own journey of faith through love, struggle and triumph. It offers a stirring challenge to look for God in every circumstance and He will be found.
You will be greatly encouraged and strengthened in your faith as you read No Other Name. It is a wonderful tribute to the grace, mercy and help that our Lord can send to others who go through times of trouble and deep waters similar to this couple’s. You will rejoice and be delighted by the numerous times of blessing in the midst of their battle with each test that came their way. I strongly urge you to read this compassionate book and share a copy with a friend, for this story is one that will edify both those who know the Lord and those who have not yet become part of His family.
The busiest task of a Children’s Pastor is recruiting workers. While serving with us in that position, Loretta had her share of filling positions to make the children’s ministry effective. However, she didn’t recruit staff in the traditional manner. She thought she could pray them in — and pray she did! Over and over God answered her prayers and brought faithful, qualified workers willing and wanting to work with her. She was a Spirit-led servant, not simply in word but in deed. Having her on our team was a spiritual experience for all of us who worked with her. Heaven is a richer place because Loretta is there. One can sense the presence of the Lord while reading this chronicle of her and her family’s life and journey together.
Having known the Williamsons since 1989, I was not suprised to see them being obedient to the Lord as they faced Loretta’s cancer and the struggles that came with it. As a physician and Christ lover, I always find it refreshing to see realistic faith and medicine working in concert. Many Christians strive to balance the two. The Williamsons invite us to travel with them through their struggles as they prove that, indeed, faith and medicine can and do work beautifully together. We get a glimpse into Loretta’s life, which she lived for the glory of His name and the advancement of His kingdom. Indeed, there is no other name but Jesus. This is a story of life as it happened — well worth the reading and one that I thoroughly enjoyed.
In Loretta’s own words, “The secret to endurance is to remember that your pain is temporary, and your reward eternal.” That is the deep understanding of a person who embraces the admonitions of the Apostle Paul to set our sights on the realities of heaven and remember that we are citizens of heaven. This book is a tearful and joyful reminder of a woman who lived victoriously in the face of death, loving her Lord, loving her family, and loving those the Lord brought into her path. Her life was a blessing, a powerful affirmation of the joy that is promised in a personal relationship with Jesus, and the message of her life continues from the pages of this book.
I wholeheartedly recommend No Other Name! My wife and I were alongside Ed and Loretta Williamson for two decades as the miracles recorded in this book took place. I was serving as General Superintendent of the Evangelical Methodist Church when the Williamsons were led of the Lord to join our denomination. In the years that followed, Leona and I were deeply moved, blessed, and challenged to be at our best for our Lord as, time and time again, we witnessed God’s marvelous touch on Loretta. This is a story that needs to be told.
This book is a faith expander with a solid biblical base. The love of Christ pours through the pages and reaches deep into the heart of the reader with hope and healing. Immediately the reader is invited into a powerful journey of the transforming presence of Christ in all circumstances.
The story of Ed and Loretta Williamson is truly a journey of faith. It begins with a testament to the providence of God in their individual lives, and continues with God’s leading them together and into ministry. The account of their journey with Loretta’s cancer brings home the truth that God is always there, in sunshine and in shadows, in joy and in sorrow, in life and in death. Their experience becomes our experience. We rejoice with them, we cry with them. Their faith becomes our faith. We come away with the assurance of the words of Peter in Acts 4:12: “Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”
